History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c14.s5.29

v1.c14.s5.29

The extent of the dominion of Valabhi was not wide. It included, however, a great part of Kathiawar and of Gujarat, Kaira district and some portion of Western Malwa also, as is apparent from some of their grants. The smallness of the kingdom may explain to some extent why Valabhi fell so easily before the Arabs. Of course the immediate explanation is the treachery of Ranka. But we may also add a third explanation viz. the unwarlike character of the people and even the rulers which must have resulted from the wide spread of the Buddhistic principles, chiefly the principle of Ahimsa of which Gujarat is even now the stronghold. Gujarat appears to have imbibed this principle during the rule of many kings including the Śīlāditya of Molapo described by Hiuen Tsang.